PASSION AND PURPOSE!

MY PASSION AND MY PURPOSE

Hello there.  How are you doing this week so far?  Great, I hope!

Did you happen to read the guest post, De-stress Yourself With A Hobby, by Lori Hutchinson from Masters in Teaching?  If you didn't, you might want to read it.  She talks about doing what makes you happy, how it gives you peace, and how it is a factor in stress management.

I love, love, love her article because I know, without a doubt, that living with happiness and peace is the opposite of stress, it is destressing yourself.

What I also know, without a doubt, is that if you find out what your purpose and passions are, you will live a magnificent life full of happiness, energy, vitality, and wholeness.

When I was very young, I knew that I loved, loved, loved to help people.  That is my purpose and passion.  As I got older, my helping people evolved.  When I was younger, I always helped the underdog at school, the one who was always picked on.  Because I had bigger brothers, no one would mess with me, and I took advantage of that by helping the person who got bullied. 

As I worked as an EMT, I noticed that people in the Emergency Field were seriously unhappy, and unnecessarily angry.  Many Fire Fighters, Nurses, Paramedics, Police Officers, and EMT's had horrible ways of handling their stress with anger, anxiety, and pure unkindness for others.  This was so heart breaking because their behavior, to the normal person, was extremely extraordinarily abnormal but they couldn't see it.

When I first started to help the Emergency Personnel with crisis, it was a miracle.  It was a miracle because they could find happiness amongst all of that crazy anger.  That is how my passion and purpose evolved from helping the underdog to helping the hero go from crisis to calm. 

Although I still get to help the hero, I also have the opportunity everyday to help the Father, Mother, Child, or Grandparent destress.  I have the opportunity to help the teenager, or adult destress.  My passion is destressing people, and my purpose is to destress the world ;0) (Just watch me now)!

As I live my passion and purpose, I see happiness all around, I feel energy for life everyday, and I have pure vitality for life.  Sure, I have my stress, everybody does, but as we find what we love to do, and live it, we become less stressed.

What I am trying to add to Lori's article is, find out what you love to do, and if you already know what it is, start to participate in it.  If you do that, I promise you that you will destress yourself.

If you don't know what your passion and purpose are, take my destress yourself course, and it will help you find them. 

What do you love to do?

What would you do everyday, if you could?

Do you know?  If you do, are you doing it?

Just some things you can think about as you destress yourself.

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love, serve one another." ~Galatians 5:13

Whatever your purpose, whatever your passions, they are our gifts from God, and they are there so that we may use them to serve one another, not just ourselves. 

I KNOW THAT THIS IS SO!!!

Have a super duper rest of the week!!!

Have fun!  Be playful!

Love you lots and lots ;0)

BIG HUGS...

Elizabeth

Subscribe to my blog by putting your email address in the box above, and you will receive updated posts.  Don't forget to confirm your subscription.

If you need help, email me, I would love to hear from you and help you in any way I can.

elizabethstanfill@gmail.com

;0)

COURAGE!

I Can See Your Courage!!! ~giggle~ ;0)

Hey there!  Hi there!  Hope you had a great weekend.

Did you know that my title is, 'Stress Specialist' or 'Destress Yourself Expert', but what I really would like my title to be is, 'Courage Expert/Specialist' because I love, love, love to encourage people.  When I spend time encouraging people, the only thing I am doing is persuading them to be courageous.

When we have challenges, and we become stressed, we have doubt, fear, and worry.  When we have doubt, fear, and worry, we start to think about the worst possible thing that could happen, and then we start to think about the steps we will have to take as we move towards what we think is the worst. 

If we face our challenges with courage, instead of thinking about the worst thing that could happen, we shift our thoughts to the best possible outcome, and then make decisions and move towards what we think is, and would be, the best results.  That is courage, my friend.

"Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently.

Said the American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide on, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”

There will be times when you will be frightened and discouraged. You may feel that you are defeated. The odds of obtaining victory may appear overwhelming. At times you may feel like David trying to fight Goliath. But remember—David did win!

Courage is required to make an initial thrust toward one’s coveted goal, but even greater courage is called for when one stumbles and must make a second effort to achieve.

Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedness to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenges that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, “I’ll try again tomorrow.”  ~Taken from Thomas S. Monson's message, Living the Abundant Life

Have courage my friend!  When the challenge comes, remind yourself, "Courage!"  When you are required to step outside of your comfort zone to move ahead, and away from your stress, say it again, "Courage!"

"Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it." ~Ezra 10:4

DO IT!

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." ~Palm 27:14

"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." ~Psalms 31:24

More things to think about so you can destress yourself.

Have a super duper week!!!

Have fun!  Be playful

Love you lots ;0)

BIG HUGS...

Elizabeth

Subscribe to my blog by putting your email address in the box above, and you will receive updated posts.  Don't forget to confirm your subscription.

If you need help, email me, I would love to hear from you and help you in any way I can.

elizabethstanfill@gmail.com

Or, you can download one of my products to help destress yourself

If you really need to destress yourself, take the class

;0)

BELIEVING IN YOURSELF

DESTRESS YOURSELF BY BELIEVING IN YOURSELF

Hello my friend.  How's your week so far?  Hope you read my last post and are increasing your Positive Attitude. 

Today, I wanna talk a lil bout believing in yourself.  What does believing in yourself have to do with destressing yourself?  Excellent question!

Stress is caused by our doubt, fear, and worry.  If we believe in ourselves, and others, our doubt, fear, and worry will turn into certainty, confidence, and faith.  When we live with thoughts of certainty, confidence, and faith, we truly destress ourselves.

Believing in yourself, and others, is just a matter of being honest with yourself.  If you search the evidence, you will find you are very successful thus far in your life.  Therefore, you have great reason to be honest with yourself and have faith in yourself.

"Be honest with yourself, with others, and with your Heavenly Father. One who was not honest with God until it was too late was Cardinal Wolsey who, according to Shakespeare, spent a long life in service to three sovereigns and enjoyed wealth and power. Finally, he was shorn of his power and possessions by an impatient king. Cardinal Wolsey cried:

Had I but served my God with half the zeal

I served my king, He would not in mine age

Have left me naked to mine enemies.

Thomas Fuller, an English churchman and historian who lived in the 17th century, penned this truth: “He does not believe that does not live according to his belief.”

Don’t limit yourself and don’t let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities.

You can achieve what you believe you can. Trust and believe and have faith." ~Taken from Thomas S. Monson's message, Living the Abundant Life  

When we believe in ourselves we have faith, and we eliminate the doubt, which is a stress inducer fo sho!

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ~Hebrew 11:1

"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith" ~Galatians 5:5

"But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." ~1 Thessalonians 5:8

Just a few more things you can think about to destress yourself.

Enjoy the rest of your week!!!

Have fun!  Be playful

Love you lots ;0)

BIG HUGS...

Elizabeth

Subscribe to my blog by putting your email address in the box above, and you will receive updated posts.  Don't forget to confirm your subscription.

If you need help, email me, I would love to hear from you and help you in any way I can.

elizabethstanfill@gmail.com

Or, you can download one of my products to help destress yourself

If you really need to destress yourself, take the class

;0)

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

DESTRESS YOURSELF WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

Hello...

Today, I wanna talk a lil bout how we can destress with a positive attitude.  When we have a positive attitude, we feel better about ourselves, and when we feel better about ourselves, we feel peace, which is the opposite of stress.

When someone comes to me to learn how to destress for the first time, many times they say they have a positive attitude.  Often times, what that means to them is when they are in front of someone, or they are having a conversation, they appear positive.  Meaning, they are happy and not sad, they are grateful and not complaining, or they are pleasant and not unpleasant.

If we truly have a positive attitude, we have peace within because we are having positive thoughts, which create positive feelings, and that promotes positive actions.  Your thoughts, feelings, and actions are your attitude.

"William James, a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher, wrote, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”

So much in life depends on our attitude. The way we choose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference. To do the best we can and then to choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment.

Charles Swindoll—author, educator, and Christian pastor—said: “Attitude, to me, is more important than … the past, … than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.”

We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude." ~Taken from Thomas S. Monson's message, Living the Abundant Life

My favorite part of this quoted message is, "We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails."  Isn't that brilliant?  We cannot direct the wind, meaning we cannot control the misfortune, but we can adjust the sails, in other words our attitude, our reaction to the misfortune.

A positive attitude gives us peace, the opposite of stress.

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." ~Romans 8:6

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith," ~Galatians 5:22

"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another." ~Romans 14:19

"Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you." ~2 Corinthians 13:11

Somethings to think about so you can destress yourself.

Have a super duper week!!!

Have fun!  Be playful

Love you lots ;0)

BIG HUGS...

Elizabeth

Subscribe to my blog by putting your email address in the box above, and you will receive updated posts.  Don't forget to confirm your subscription.

If you need help, email me, I would love to hear from you and help you in any way I can.

elizabethstanfill@gmail.com

Or, you can download one of my products to help destress yourself

If you really need to destress yourself, take the course

;0)

STRESS

Never was I able to measure the level of stress, or even gauge the level of stress, that has been among others until I started blogging.  My blogging began in 2006, and then seriously in 2007.  It wasn't until 2009 that I was able to measure how many visitors I had in a day, week, or month.  The measurements were only monthly before then.

 

All this babbling is about stress out there in the world.  What I mean is, in the summer of 2009, I had about 500 to 600 readers a month.  In the winter the readers more than doubled, and that just so happens to be my busiest time of the year, destressing people.  By 2010 summer, I had in a week, what I had in followers in a month from 2009 winter.  In the 2010 winter, it doubled, then went back down by the end of April. 

 

By 2011, in the summer, my visitors doubled to what I was experiencing in the busy months of the winter, and the emails doubled as well.  By the winter of 2011, I was experiencing crazy, crazy amounts of readers daily. 

 

What I am trying to explain in all of this blah blah is, I believe because of the number of visitors, and contacts I am experiencing, stress is increasing out there in the world.  For a minute there, I thought things were getting better, over the holidays, because my stats dropped from December 24, 2011 to January 2, 2012, to what was high stats in the 2011 summer.  But, by January 8, 2012, things got back to all time highs again.

 

By January 14, 2012, my post How To Destress Your Deepest Moments of Despair, was viewed 1000 times.  What this means to me is, there are plenty of people out there in their deepest moments of despair.

 

There was a time when I responded to Critical Incidents, and taught stress prevention, intervention, and direction only to the Emergency Personnel, which included EMT's, Firefighters, Paramedics, and Police Officers.  Then it expanded to Management and Administrators. 

 

I can remember my first one on one clients that were not in the Emergency Field, they included men, who were business owners.  Many of them were sent to me by their wives, and the common reaction was, "My wife sent me to see you because if I don't get a handle on my stress then she will divorce me."  No lie!

 

Then I started teaching all kinds of individuals stress relief.

 

Most recently, my contacts have been people who have lost their jobs, homes, and sometimes everything they have, and sometimes even a family member.

 

When October & November 2011 came around, I had an unusual amount of teenagers come to me due to pressures usually at home, but not entirely. 

 

Is the economy in America getting better?  Is the economy in the World getting better?  That is hard to say, but from my stand point, a whole lotta people are trying to relieve stress, that's fo sho!

 

This time of the year is the best time for you, and me, to relieve our stress because it is the New Year, and we can be motivated to start a new.

 

When people are stressed, it is caused by doubt, fear, and worry about their circumstances.  When people are really stressed, they tend to focus on the worst possible outcome.  They think about the worst thing that could happen, over and over, in their mind.  This causes a whole lotta stress.

 

One of the best things we can do, when we think about the worst over and over again, is write down what we want, what we really want.  Write down the best possible outcome you could have in your situation, make them goals, and focus on them.  Focus on them by reading your written list everyday, and making a to do list to move forward on it.  This will destress you by building faith in yourself, and making you focus on the best instead of worst.

 

Another great thing we can do is learn the relaxation response.  The relaxation response will provide a way for you to create a habit of relaxing any time, and any where.  It is a habit we can develop to replace the stress habit.  When we are stressed, the stress response is activated, and if we have a wonderful habit of activating the relaxation response it can, and will, provide a place, in our mind and body, to feel safe and relaxed.

 

If we focus on the best possible outcome, and remain relaxed, the burden of our stress is lightened and we can easily overcome our stress, no matter what we are going through.

 

A great affirmation for when you have stress, you are focusing on the best outcome, and you practice the relaxation response is, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." ~Philippians 4:13

 

Affirmations are just reminders, and this reminder, if you say it to yourself over and over again, will build your faith, and help you succeed.  So memorize it, and say it often, especially when you feel stressed.

 

That's all I got.  You are doing great!  Keep up the excellent work!  Have fun!  Be playful!

 

Love you lots ;0)

 

BIG HUGS...

 

Elizabeth

 

Subscribe to my blog by putting your email address in the box above, and you will receive updated posts.  Don't forget to confirm your subscription.

 

If you need help, email me, I would love to hear from you and help you in any way I can.

 

elizabethstanfill@gmail.com

 

Or, you can download one of my products to help destress yourself

 

If you really need to destress yourself, take the class

 

;0)

MY OWN STANDARDS

Hello there.  How's it going?  Did you have a most magnificent weekend?  I sho did ;0)  Once again, I fell in love.  Matter of fact, I fell in love a few times.  Dang, I love that, falling in love.  I love love.  Okay, okay, enough about love, again, but you know I can't help it.

 

Got a scripture for you.

 

Matthew 7:3 says, "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beem in thine own eye?"

 

This scripture means, to me, why are you judging, or trying to fix someone else when you could be judged for what you do, or when you got a whole lotta fixen to do in yourself?

 

Mote means a chip or splinter, and a beem is something big that they use in constructing a house or building.  Therefore, whatever you are judging in someone else is much smaller than what you could be judged for.

 

This, my friend is great advice.  Whenever I feel like I want to give someone advice (like in my blog for instance), I know there are at least two things going on for me.  First, I am looking at what I think needs to be fixed in someone else, meaning I am being critical.  Second, I need to give that advice to myself, which means, living up to my own standards.  Practice what I preach!  You know what I mean?

 

When I want to fix someone else, I am looking at their imperfection, rather than looking at their assets.  "Guess what?" I say to myself, "We are all imperfect Elizabeth." 

 

A very stressful habit is focusing on peoples' imperfections.  It is a habit of being critical, when we could just as easily be complimenting.  If we are critical, it shows the mood of our mind.  If the mood of our mind is critical of others, you can bet it is critical of ourselves.  When we are critical of ourselves, we tend to have a very low self-confidence which produces doubt.  Any kind of doubt, fear, or worry will create stress.

 

You know, and I know, we can be our own worst enemies by being critical of, or having doubt in ourselves.  All the decisions we make in this life are based on doubt or certainty.  If we make decisions based on doubt, we miss out on some seriously spectacular goods.  If we make decisions on certainty, we achieve, advance, gain, and obtain.

 

How did being critical become a habit?  Well, I'll tell you.  Most likely, when we were younger, and as we grew up, we could have done a thousand things right all day long with not a word said, and yet, when we did one thing wrong, we were criticized, and then corrected.  So, other peoples' habits became ours.

 

The best thing I can do, when I write a blog post, or help an individual is, take my own advice, and live up to my own standards. 

 

Do I take my own advice?  I sho do!  Eh-em, most of the time.

 

Do I live up to my own standards?  I sho do try, but like I say, to myself, "Nobody is perfect Elizabeth."

 

One of the things I love to do the mostest is, I love, love, love to encourage people.  Even though I am a Destress Yourself Specialist, I would love my title to be a Courage Specialist.  And because I love to encourage others, I spend a lot of time encouraging myself.  I am my own cheerleader. 

 

"You can do it Elizabeth!"  I say to myself. 

 

Encouraging and complimenting others is much better than criticizing or trying to fix them.  Taking my own advice, that I want to give to others, and encouraging myself is much better than criticizing.  Truly, just a simple choice, don't you think?

 

This week, and if I am brave enough, for the weeks to come, I will live up to my own standards by taking my own advice.  Whatever advice I am about to give, I will hush up and give it to myself, in my head of course.  I will focus on peoples' abundance and I will compliment and encourage them.  I will look at my abundance, and I will compliment and encourage myself more.

 

Sounds like a great way to destress myself, wouldn't you agree?

 

Hope you have a glorious week.  You can do it!  LOL!  You are glorious! 

 

How am I doing so far?

 

Have fun!  Be playful!  And, speak soon!

 

Elizabeth

 

Subscribe to my blog by putting your email address in the box above, and you will receive updated posts.  Don't forget to confirm your subscription.

 

If you need help, email me, I would love to hear from you and help you in any way I can.

 

elizabethstanfill@gmail.com

 

Or, you can download one of my products to help destress yourself

 

If you really need to destress yourself, take the class

 

:D

HAVE FAITH IN YOUR DREAMS!

Hello there!

It is a great year already, I can feel it in my bones, and in my soul.

 

So far, I am doing really good on my New Year Resolutions.  How bout you?

 

My resolutions are...

 

To be healthier and to serve more people in more ways.  That's it!

 

Although, there is a huge list of things I have to do, and want to do, that goes under each of those goals.  My goals are very specific, and so I have a lot of work to do.

 

One thing I know for sure is, I may have a set back or I may mess up a little but you know what?  That is totally okay in my head.  That sounds funny.  Anyway, what I mean is, I will not give up if I have a set back or if I mess up a little, or a lot. 

 

My mantras for my goals are, "I can do this!  I have faith that I can do these things.  I will not give up."

 

I am so focused, it is magnificent, in my head.  ;0)

 

Do you have your goals?  How are you doing?  Do you have faith that you can accomplish your goals?  Do you have the mindset that you WILL NOT give up?

 

In Hebrews 11:1, it says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

 

Now is the time, more than ever, to have faith in yourself, and your goals.  Now is the time, more than ever, to hope for the things that you want that have not yet come to pass.  Now is the time, more than ever, especially if you want a better you and a better year, to be focused more than ever.

 

You can do it my friend.

 

You can do this!

 

Have faith!

 

Never give up!

 

Say it with me now, "I can do this!  I have faith I can do these things!  I will not give up!"

 

Have a great week.  Have fun and be playful too ;0)

 

Elizabeth

 

Subscribe to my blog by putting your email address in the box above, and you will receive updated posts.  Don't forget to confirm your subscription.

 

If you need help, email me, I would love to hear from you and help you in any way I can.

 

elizabethstanfill@gmail.com

 

Or, you can download one of my products to help destress yourself

 

If you really need to destress yourself, take the class